An ethical Christmas gift guide for parents and children

14 December, 2016

We are celebrating Christmas with Tim’s extended family this year, and we’ve decided to do a Secret Santa pressie giving thing to take the pressure of having to buy for seventeen million people. So we all get a name and we buy for that person only. It has all been meticulously organised by my amazing sister in law, and part of it included doing a wish list so that the presents were actually valued and appreciated, rather then spending, collectively, hundreds of dollars on jokey gifts or those wire scalp massagers. (Every year!!! They are pretty lush though. In a weird way.)

I have never made a Christmas wish list as an adult. And we’ve never done them with the girls either. We’ve always just been super chill about pressies and bought for each other almost entirely from second hand shops or the local Fair Trade market.

Doing this year’s wish list made me realise that we are not normal in this regard, and that actually it is WAY better getting people stuff they actually WANT!! Especially if it is ethical in origin.

So here’s some ethical gift ideas for parents and children. This is all stuff that we have had in the past and appreciated, or stuff that we would proudly buy, and many of them link to affiliate ethical companies that I am working with, so if you click through from here I get a percentage. (Thank you so much for all your support of this blog by doing that. I feel like it is win win for all three of us, me, you and the ethical company, and I hope you feel that too, rather than any exploitative thing. I wouldn’t link to anyone I wouldn’t personally buy from, promise. Aye Carumba, sorry, enough analysis!!)

If you don’t feel the the need for any more gifts on your list, please stop reading and go and enjoy something else!! Like this rendition of Oh Holy Night. The last thing I want to do is make people hanker for something. Happiness is on the inside, not what’s in your stocking etc etc. (Unless there are birdprint leggings in that stocking. I don’t care what you say. Happiness. Harhahahaha. )

Ethical gifts for parents

1- A subscription to the Green Parent Magazine, the most amazing magazine that I write for. If you use the code LULAST they will give you £5 off – that is a whopping third off the price! Click here for that. This gift idea is one available all over the world, not just UK.

2- Imagine a pair of shoes that met an intensely high standard of ethical and was completely and utterly out of this world BEAUTIFUL?! Can I introduce Po Zu? I am *so* excited at the prospect of slipping my smelly old feet into a pair of these stunners. They have men and women’s shoes, boots and sandals. And they are completely gorgeous. Also available worldwide.

5- You can’t beat a nice pampery lot of body stuff either aye? There is a great mens’s range at Green People. See all the goodies in here.

6- Make Up, sweet Make Up. This here is the tinted Burt’s Bees lippy which I have worn since forever and LOVE. But there is also an enormous range of eye popping red colours, and smouldery eye shizzle and foundation and it is all cruelty free, often organic and often free from the harshest chemicals. Check it all out here.

10 – Ramona is so into organs at the moment. This week Tim went to the butcher and asked for an eyeball. “Why?” said the butcher “for my daughter. she just, you know, wants an eyeball.” They bought home two pig eyeballs. First she put it in her mouth to see what it felt like. Then she drew it. Then she dissected it.

11 – This cute little farm made out of recycled plastic. I love this toy brand for doing this. I love them. I really do. It is such a great effort when humankind has such a problem with plastic. Ugh. Click here for this.

12 – Gorgeous sustainable balance bike. In my experience balance bikes are the IDEAL vehicle for non biking kids. They can whip along with the big kids and have so much fun. There is a big range of colours here.

14- One of the books I think should be on every family’s shelf is A is for Activist. Such a great way to introduce important world changing social movement vocabulary to our children! You can get it here.

15 – Here is something. My children LOVE nail polish. I don’t wear it and to be honest wouldn’t want to draw attention to my worried-down nails. In an ideal world I wouldn’t have it in this household where we try and monitor our use of unhealthy chemicals and minimise the emphasis we put on beautifying our bodies, but alas and alack my children can not get enough. So I am super stoked to find this selection of nail polishes that are cruelty free, and free from the harshest chemicals. Click here to check them out.

So there we go.

My theory is that Christmas is all about love, so if we can buy stuff that shows we care for the people who get the gift AND the people that made the gift AND for the planet then we are doing really well!!

I am Lucy - a writer, mama, activist and vintage lover. (Especially nice old typewriters.) A huge thank you to my supporters on Patreon who make my writing and videos happen. You can join that wonderful bunch for as little as $1. On this blog I share all my tips on natural, toxin-free living and wild and joyful parenting - all from a yurt in New Zealand. Keep in touch through Instagram, Facebook or Youtube.
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